PUBS and police in the region have backed efforts to rid town centres of drink-fuelled violence.

Pub chains have been joined by a police chief in welcoming a British Beer and Pub Association ban on happy hour promotions to reduce binge-drinking.

Northumbria Police's chief constable, Mike Craik, welcomed the news that cheap alcohol promotions would now be banned by the association's 32,000 members, many of whom are in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

He said: "I am pleased to hear of any effort which will aid responsible drinking and look forward to others followings the example."

Punch Taverns, which owns more than 500 North-East bars and pubs, criticised the culture of cheap drink promotions, such as drink-all-you-can or two-for-one deals.

A spokesman said: "Excessive drinking and anti-social behaviour is damaging to society, and to our business.

"It is in all our interests to tackle this issue. We welcome the recommendation to end happy hours and would urge retailers throughout the Punch Taverns estate to adopt the policy."

The ban aims to cut the cost of excessive drinking in British pubs, which the Government says sets the country back £20bn a year.

Mark Hastings, from the beer and pub association, said deals that encouraged people to drink too much, too quickly no longer had a place in the industry.

He said: "This is part of our drive to tackle binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour in town centres."

Pubs owned by Carlsberg, Scottish and Newcastle, Young's, Theakston's and Diageo are joining the campaign, along with the Pitcher and Piano, Slug and Lettuce and the All Bar One entertainment groups.

Mr Hastings said he hoped other groups, such as supermarkets, will follow their example.

A spokeswoman for Enterprise Inns, which owns more than 9,000 pubs, said: "We fully endorse this move and though it is not possible for us to impose a ban, we would hope that all our licensees would abide by the decision of the industry."

However, Mark Coates, manager of the Hillcarter Hotel, in Church Street, Hartlepool, said he was not a member of the association and would carry on as normal.

While not in favour of drink-all-you-can offers, he said he sometimes reduced prices, such as during televised football matches.

He said: "It is all about getting a balance and being responsible.

"We want to give the customer something they want, but we don't want them to get out of control."